Boxoffice, July 5, 1947: “SPRINGFIELD — Clark county’s first drive-in theatre, Melody Cruise-In, opened July 2 at a site a mile and a half east of Springfield on U.S. 40. The drive-in has a 500-car capacity. It is owned by Raymond K. Stout of Dayton. Manager is E. G. Babb, Springfield. ‘The theatre will operate on four changes a week. Bookings are handled by “Woody” Bressler of Cincinnati.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, March 29, 1961: “Marvin L. Williams and Mrs. Dorothy L. Williams have taken over as operators of the MotoVue Drive-In, Warrenton.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Nov. 22, 1961: “Chakeres Theatres, Springfield, O., have bought the 500-car Old Town Drive-In, Xenia, O. from Melton Straus and Harry Schwartz.”
This must have been when the El Capitan added the 520 seats, but I wonder what enclosing a whole ramp looked like.
The Exhibitor, Oct. 8, 1952: “In Metropolis, Ill., Eddie Clark plans enclosing one ramp at his El Capitan Drive-In to provide space for some 500 seats for persons.”
Independent Film Journal, May 16, 1953: “The Autovue Drive-In near Mountain Grove, Mo. opened under new ownership of Dean Davis, Jr. and with John Castner as mgr."
The Southwest section of the July 21, 1956 issue of Boxoffice ran a long story about “Elmer Gordon, manager of C. D. Leon’s Fort Worth Twin,” … “the lone dual screen drive-in at Fort Worth”. Here’s my favorite glimpse into what the place was like:
“The kiddy playground is so situated on the north side of the patio that the lights can continue burning on it throughout the performance of the screen attractions without disturbing the patron. And, a cage of parakeets is on exhibition outside the snack bar on screen No. 2 side.”
Boxoffice, July 21, 1956: “W. W. Blakey, owner of Pop’s Bargain Barn on Jensen drive, has opened his Humble Drive-In two miles south of the Humble highway on Highway 59. He sold his business in Houston and is living in a house trailer at the airer. Blakey was a projectionist for 15 years some years ago. He is his own operator now, with wife Mattie Lee running the concessions.”
Boxoffice, July 14, 1956: “C. L. Lance has sold the Palace Theatre and Canadian Drive-In in Canadian, Tex., to Frank F. McMordie. Booking for the two theatres will be handled by the A&O Booking Service”
Boxoffice, July 14, 1956: “Joe Turner, sole owner of the Lawton Theatre Co., sold a major interest in the firm to Video (Theatres) and J. R. Montgomery, Lawton banker. Turner will retire from active operation of the Dome and Murray theatres in downtown Lawton, the Austin Drive-In, west of the city, and the Vaska Theatre in the suburban area. He will remain as a partner of Video and Montgomery and serve on the Video board of directors.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1956: “DAILEY, W. VA. - Alfred Collins, who with his wife operates an indoor theatre at Durban, is constructing a 200-car outdoor theatre here between Elkins and Mill Creek.”
This photo ran in the Modern Theatre section of the Feb. 10, 1964 of Boxoffice. The original caption:
View of the approach to the Galaxy Drive-In Theatre in suburban Detroit, showing the Selby-designed-and-constructed all-steel screen tower and wing walls and also the canopied boxoffices at center right. The 1,800-car theatre is located on a 21-acre site. Both the entrance and exit roads are used for incoming traffic during peak hours. Then a movable steel barrier separates the common road in front of the tower so that each road servers its own specific purpose.
Boxoffice ran a four-paragraph article on July 14, 1958 on the occasion of the Blue Mouse moving from its old location on 11th & Washington to the remodeled old Capitol Theatres at 4th & Morrison. It presented this timeline:
“The Blue Mouse, once a John Hamrick theatre, introduced the talking picture to Portland fans on Mar. 9, 1927, with a showing of "Don Juan,” starring John Barrymore. The program was identical to that presented in New York at the world premiere Aug. 6, 1926."
Boxoffice, June 9, 1958: “Independent Theatres has purchased the 23rd Street and the 58 Highway drive-in theatres from W. W. Fincher and J. M. Treadwell, North Georgia theatre operators … The firm now operates five outdoor theatres, the others being the Red Bank, Broad Street and Skyway.”
Boxoffice, June 9, 1958: “R. C. "Bob” Anderson and David C. Barnes, both of Lee’s Summit, have leased the Terrace Drive-In there from JAM Theatres and began its operation Thursday (29)."
Boxoffice, June 9, 1958: “PATTONSBURG, MO. - The Binny Theatre, which had been operating with the help of a rent subsidy put up by merchants, was closed after the assistance expired.”
Boxoffice, May 19, 1958: “H. P. Vinson jr. has also reopened the DanDee Drive-In, Columbia, Tenn., which had been closed for some time. Vinson also operates the Sundown Drive-In, Columbia.”
Boxoffice, May 12, 1958: “The Lyceum will end its career as a theatre when it is turned into an evangelistic tabernacle after Ben Berger’s lease expires in August”
Boxoffice, Nov. 23, 1959: “Hutchinson, Kas. - The New Flag Theatre, a luxury-styled theatre which Jay Wooten in association with Commonwealth Theatres has rebuilt out of the shell of the old State Theatre, will open Monday (23) for the trade, press, radio and TV. The 400-seat theatre is probably the only new house to open in Kansas this year, and the owners have poured a considerable chunk of money into giving this town a top-quality theatre.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 16, 1959: “The Frisina Amusement Co., effective on November 1, took over the Roxy Theatre and the Kay Drive-In at Shelbyville, Ill., which for about three years had been operated by Charley Beninati of Carlyle.”
Johnny Fagan, at that point the Twin’s manager and possibly part of its Weisenberg ownership group, died on Jan. 29, 1973. By May 1974, the Amarillo Globe-Times said that Paul McDonald was the owner of the Twin.
The Motion Picture Almanac finally switched the Twin’s owner from Weisenberg to McDonald in its 1980 edition, another example of how slow the MPA could be to notice changes.
Then the MPA switched again, for the 1983 edition, to “J. Dydzak,” who was also listed as the owner of the 121 Twin in Lewisville TX and the Bruton Road in Mesquite TX. That’s a very unusual name, so I’ve got to think it’s related to the Dydzak Drive-In Theatres Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada. That operation was started by brothers Joe and John Dydzak, and John Jr. and Judy also worked in the movie business, so that first J could have been any of them.
The MPA carried that same Twin listing through its final drive-in list in the 1988 edition. A 1991 aerial photo showed the screens gone and a few bushes growing in the south field ramps, so I’d guess that the Twin closed around 1989.
I can’t find anything online linking the Dydzaks to anything in Texas. Anyone else know of their Lone Star presence, or when the Twin closed?
The Oklahoma Historical Society said that this photo of an April 26 reopening was taken by Taylor Studio of Vinita and is part of the William B. Turk Collection.
Ron Stahl of the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department, in a column carried by the Okmulgee Daily Times on June 27, 2007: “The comeback story belongs to the Airline Drive-In on West Highland in Ponca City. The venerable old theatre near the airport endured an ignoble decade of disuse before it was re-opened, refurbished, and rediscovered by outdoor movie lovers.”
The Pirate Drive-In opened on Sunday, June 28, 1953, according to a (Bristow) Record-Citizen report two days later. Because owner Henry Simpson had been uncertain whether delayed sound equipment would arrive in time to be installed for the opener, the Pirate didn’t advertise the grand opening except for “a sound truck announcement Saturday night.” About 200 carloads watched William Lundigan and Mitzi Gaynor in “Down Among the Sheltering Palms”.
Boxoffice, July 5, 1947: “SPRINGFIELD — Clark county’s first drive-in theatre, Melody Cruise-In, opened July 2 at a site a mile and a half east of Springfield on U.S. 40. The drive-in has a 500-car capacity. It is owned by Raymond K. Stout of Dayton. Manager is E. G. Babb, Springfield. ‘The theatre will operate on four changes a week. Bookings are handled by “Woody” Bressler of Cincinnati.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, March 29, 1961: “Marvin L. Williams and Mrs. Dorothy L. Williams have taken over as operators of the MotoVue Drive-In, Warrenton.”
Motion Picture Exhibitor, Nov. 22, 1961: “Chakeres Theatres, Springfield, O., have bought the 500-car Old Town Drive-In, Xenia, O. from Melton Straus and Harry Schwartz.”
This must have been when the El Capitan added the 520 seats, but I wonder what enclosing a whole ramp looked like.
The Exhibitor, Oct. 8, 1952: “In Metropolis, Ill., Eddie Clark plans enclosing one ramp at his El Capitan Drive-In to provide space for some 500 seats for persons.”
Independent Film Journal, May 16, 1953: “The Autovue Drive-In near Mountain Grove, Mo. opened under new ownership of Dean Davis, Jr. and with John Castner as mgr."
The Southwest section of the July 21, 1956 issue of Boxoffice ran a long story about “Elmer Gordon, manager of C. D. Leon’s Fort Worth Twin,” … “the lone dual screen drive-in at Fort Worth”. Here’s my favorite glimpse into what the place was like:
“The kiddy playground is so situated on the north side of the patio that the lights can continue burning on it throughout the performance of the screen attractions without disturbing the patron. And, a cage of parakeets is on exhibition outside the snack bar on screen No. 2 side.”
Boxoffice, July 21, 1956: “W. W. Blakey, owner of Pop’s Bargain Barn on Jensen drive, has opened his Humble Drive-In two miles south of the Humble highway on Highway 59. He sold his business in Houston and is living in a house trailer at the airer. Blakey was a projectionist for 15 years some years ago. He is his own operator now, with wife Mattie Lee running the concessions.”
Boxoffice, July 14, 1956: “C. L. Lance has sold the Palace Theatre and Canadian Drive-In in Canadian, Tex., to Frank F. McMordie. Booking for the two theatres will be handled by the A&O Booking Service”
Boxoffice, July 14, 1956: “Joe Turner, sole owner of the Lawton Theatre Co., sold a major interest in the firm to Video (Theatres) and J. R. Montgomery, Lawton banker. Turner will retire from active operation of the Dome and Murray theatres in downtown Lawton, the Austin Drive-In, west of the city, and the Vaska Theatre in the suburban area. He will remain as a partner of Video and Montgomery and serve on the Video board of directors.”
Boxoffice, Jan. 14, 1956: “DAILEY, W. VA. - Alfred Collins, who with his wife operates an indoor theatre at Durban, is constructing a 200-car outdoor theatre here between Elkins and Mill Creek.”
This photo ran in the Modern Theatre section of the Feb. 10, 1964 of Boxoffice. The original caption:
View of the approach to the Galaxy Drive-In Theatre in suburban Detroit, showing the Selby-designed-and-constructed all-steel screen tower and wing walls and also the canopied boxoffices at center right. The 1,800-car theatre is located on a 21-acre site. Both the entrance and exit roads are used for incoming traffic during peak hours. Then a movable steel barrier separates the common road in front of the tower so that each road servers its own specific purpose.
This is a 1980 photo by John Margolies, part of the Library of Congress’s John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive and effectively in the public domain.
Boxoffice ran a four-paragraph article on July 14, 1958 on the occasion of the Blue Mouse moving from its old location on 11th & Washington to the remodeled old Capitol Theatres at 4th & Morrison. It presented this timeline:
“The Blue Mouse, once a John Hamrick theatre, introduced the talking picture to Portland fans on Mar. 9, 1927, with a showing of "Don Juan,” starring John Barrymore. The program was identical to that presented in New York at the world premiere Aug. 6, 1926."
Boxoffice, June 9, 1958: “Independent Theatres has purchased the 23rd Street and the 58 Highway drive-in theatres from W. W. Fincher and J. M. Treadwell, North Georgia theatre operators … The firm now operates five outdoor theatres, the others being the Red Bank, Broad Street and Skyway.”
Boxoffice, June 9, 1958: “R. C. "Bob” Anderson and David C. Barnes, both of Lee’s Summit, have leased the Terrace Drive-In there from JAM Theatres and began its operation Thursday (29)."
Boxoffice, June 9, 1958: “PATTONSBURG, MO. - The Binny Theatre, which had been operating with the help of a rent subsidy put up by merchants, was closed after the assistance expired.”
Boxoffice, May 19, 1958: “H. P. Vinson jr. has also reopened the DanDee Drive-In, Columbia, Tenn., which had been closed for some time. Vinson also operates the Sundown Drive-In, Columbia.”
That’s from the Showmandiser section of the May 12, 1958 issue of Boxoffice, which I believe is in the public domain.
Boxoffice, May 12, 1958: “The Lyceum will end its career as a theatre when it is turned into an evangelistic tabernacle after Ben Berger’s lease expires in August”
Boxoffice, Nov. 23, 1959: “Hutchinson, Kas. - The New Flag Theatre, a luxury-styled theatre which Jay Wooten in association with Commonwealth Theatres has rebuilt out of the shell of the old State Theatre, will open Monday (23) for the trade, press, radio and TV. The 400-seat theatre is probably the only new house to open in Kansas this year, and the owners have poured a considerable chunk of money into giving this town a top-quality theatre.”
Boxoffice, Nov. 16, 1959: “The Frisina Amusement Co., effective on November 1, took over the Roxy Theatre and the Kay Drive-In at Shelbyville, Ill., which for about three years had been operated by Charley Beninati of Carlyle.”
Johnny Fagan, at that point the Twin’s manager and possibly part of its Weisenberg ownership group, died on Jan. 29, 1973. By May 1974, the Amarillo Globe-Times said that Paul McDonald was the owner of the Twin.
The Motion Picture Almanac finally switched the Twin’s owner from Weisenberg to McDonald in its 1980 edition, another example of how slow the MPA could be to notice changes.
Then the MPA switched again, for the 1983 edition, to “J. Dydzak,” who was also listed as the owner of the 121 Twin in Lewisville TX and the Bruton Road in Mesquite TX. That’s a very unusual name, so I’ve got to think it’s related to the Dydzak Drive-In Theatres Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada. That operation was started by brothers Joe and John Dydzak, and John Jr. and Judy also worked in the movie business, so that first J could have been any of them.
The MPA carried that same Twin listing through its final drive-in list in the 1988 edition. A 1991 aerial photo showed the screens gone and a few bushes growing in the south field ramps, so I’d guess that the Twin closed around 1989.
I can’t find anything online linking the Dydzaks to anything in Texas. Anyone else know of their Lone Star presence, or when the Twin closed?
The Oklahoma Historical Society said that this photo of an April 26 reopening was taken by Taylor Studio of Vinita and is part of the William B. Turk Collection.
Ron Stahl of the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department, in a column carried by the Okmulgee Daily Times on June 27, 2007: “The comeback story belongs to the Airline Drive-In on West Highland in Ponca City. The venerable old theatre near the airport endured an ignoble decade of disuse before it was re-opened, refurbished, and rediscovered by outdoor movie lovers.”
The Pirate Drive-In opened on Sunday, June 28, 1953, according to a (Bristow) Record-Citizen report two days later. Because owner Henry Simpson had been uncertain whether delayed sound equipment would arrive in time to be installed for the opener, the Pirate didn’t advertise the grand opening except for “a sound truck announcement Saturday night.” About 200 carloads watched William Lundigan and Mitzi Gaynor in “Down Among the Sheltering Palms”.